I'm picking up my new boat tomorrow morning from the plant, and I wanted to share some photographs of the build process. I was tempted to wait until I had everything done and installed, but I figured I'd just post things up as they get finished.

I decided to go with an other Axis A22 for 2012 because I had an absolutely awesome experience with my 2011 A22. I had zero problems out of my old boat. It threw the best wake I've ever ridden - consistently. What I mean is that, when I wanted to ride slow and try to learn something new, I could, and the wake retained its shape. When I wanted to let a novice ride with factory ballast, the wake was nice, rampy and had a small lip for the newbie to use to get a feel for pop. When we wanted to slam the boat with 4k in ballast over the factory weight, it threw a monster clean wake at 23mph all the way back to 80+ ft.

No, this boat is not as blinged out and crazy as some of the boats I've owned and some of the boats that are available. Look, I've got two kids, a mortgage, and I want to buy a house on the lake at some point. I made a financial decision to focus on the core values/components I had to have in a wakeboat, and found that in the Axis A22. I was willing to sacrifice some bling to lower my cost. I'm not saying that everyone should do this, or that it's a mistake to buy a more expensive boat. Buy what suits YOU best. For me, I was able to save enough on the boat to put in a monster wetsounds stereo, and not have to take out a loan.

The A22 is a utilitarian boat. It's a wake machine. There are no heated seats. There are no touch screens. However, it's still plenty nice for those of us who simply want to shred a lot, and own a boat that throws an awesome wake under a wide variety of conditions, without having to break the bank.

Yes, my A22 is still relatively pretty pricey because it has the big motor and the Vandall package, but I wanted the extra power and the creature comforts that I used last year (like the heater, chillax seats, docking lights, etc.), and I wanted to have 450hp to move all the weight I intend to throw at this boat.

I just wanted to share some pictures and give some brief thoughts as to why I stock with the A22 for this year. There's a boat for everybody out there. There is no one, single, "best" boat. That being said, IMO, the A22 is one of the absolute best options on the market at this time for someone that wakeboards a lot, values a great wake, values an extensive dealer network, and wants as much bang for the buck as he/she can get.

Below are some build pics I received. Obviously, the boat has a ways to go before I'm done with it. I still have to mount the (powdercoated) z5 and install a ton of wetsounds gear, including a pair of white REV 410's on the tower.

In the last picture you can see the boatmate trailer that I had some custom work done to. I can't thank boatmate enough for being willing to work with me on the small changes I wanted to make. I wanted a solid white trailer with all clear led lenses and every piece of diamond plate anodized black. I know it can be a total pain in the behind for manufacturers to do custom work; however, the guys at boatmate (Owen Shelton in particular) went above and beyond to get me all of the information I needed to make informed choices and to implement all of the changes I wanted.

I can't wait to see the boat on the trailer, with the z5 on and the REV 410's mounted up!

I'm off to the eye doctor to get Lasik done this afternoon, and hopefully I'm up for going to get the boat at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. More pics to come!

WOW!! You've done it yet again chatt!! Sick boat! I'm working in leinor city and have about 4 bridges I'm working on from chattanooga to Knoxville, id love to get a set one afternoon if I could!! Got gas money in hand!

Chattewake, my boat (MB 23TWB) should be ready either the end of this month or early June. Would you be interested in meeting up sometime this summer? (Dale Hollow or Center Hill?) I would love to have you ride behind it and get your thoughts of the difference in the wake between the two as I'm sure it would benefit many others here on WW since they both fall in the same price range.

^^ yea i think that thing would look sick with just the "vandall edition" on the back and maybe just the "V" just outlines in black without the shading in the middle. but i'm sure its all one decal. still looks sick as hell though. that z5 is going to be awesome on it!

Man, I hope you have someone driving you to pick up the boat. When I had Lasik, my vision the next morning was very good but I don't think I would have enjoyed driving. Then again, I could probably make due if I were driving to pick up that sweet boat!

I thought long and hard about whether I wanted to keep the graphics or ditch the graphics. I really liked how clean the black boat I had last season looked with no graphics. However, my friend David bought a solid white A20 and kept the graphic off of it. I just did not like the look of his boat as much as I thought I would. I think it's because the rubrail is black and breaks up the white.

The decal is one huge piece. I know because I had the decals put on my black boat for the buyer. I wanted to know how hard it would be to just put the V and the "Vandall Edition" portion on the boat. What I determined is that it would be best for me to get the whole thing put on, and then, if I decided to, cut and remove the skeleton portion fo the decal. When everything's all said and done, I'm going to call on one of you photoshop gurus to do that for me so I can see what it looks like.

I've always liked as much solid color as possible, but, at the very least, this boat needs the big V on the side.

Chase, I'd be more than happy to give you a pull sometime. I'll pm you my number. Just txt me if you are going to be in the Chatt area anytime soon.

Jon, I would love to meet up with you sometime and take a set behind that MB! Usually, I don't make it to nashville unless I'm going to board bonanza. It was cancelled last year, but I hope they bring it back. If so, I may see you there. Alternatively, we always take our boat up to Knoxville for Boomsday /labor day weekend. If you haven't been up there for Boomsday, you really ought to consider coming. My friend Ryan's dealership, American Boat Center, always puts on some huge rail/pool exhibition and other events. Just pm me if you want to try to put something together.

- along these lines, why the hell don't we coordinate a few big ww members meet and greet events?

I'm not a big fan of Skelator's pimp hand on the side of the boat but the graphics being black don't really do it any favors either IMO. I know it wouldn't be cheap but have you considered doing it in a lighter color? Maybe a metallic grey or silver or maybe even a pearl white or plain white graphic with metallic flake to kinda ghost it in.

If you did that and kept the pimp hand the boat would still look like the regular Vandall Edition but with a more subtle graphic. I would think it would make it more appealing when going to sell it next year and keep you from having a buyer request that you put the full graphic back on it.

I don't have a great shot of my boat with the metallic silver graphics out in the sun (and I'm afraid you might start making fun of me posting pics of my boat like you do with Robert!) but I love the look of the graphics on this RZ2. I think it would look even better if they were a little lighter.

Of course that means the black bimini needs to be changed to match, although black wouldn't be terrible.

I guess it is all one big rumor about "once you go black, you never go back"???? Well, I tried it once and I came back to black. I guess we will see you back in black next year. Ha ha...
In all seriousness it looks awesome and that motor looks huge!!!!! That trailer looks sexy too. Boatmate is awesome. Good to see they are under most inboard boats now. They deserve all the new business they are getting.

Ok, I suck at Photoshop but in an effort to prove that I do work from my desk and that my Mac is a functional computer I spent nearly 15min doing this for you so say something nice. Again, I really don't know what I am doing but it doesn't look too bad. I left the V black because I got tired of working after 15min. It doesn't look bad black and would maybe tie in your black bimini canvas.

Chatt Congrats on the new boat.To me it would look plain without the Vandall Graphics in BLACK! That makes it really pop! Also the white trailer is sick with the Black rims of course.Looking really sweet,can't wait to see the pics of it finished on the trailer.Also like the white tower.White is the color you are going with on the Rev410's? That should look Awesome too.

I gotta be honest, I didn't think I could like an Axis any more than your last one (which I loved). But this white one is shaping up to be a sweet ride. I have seen all white before on a A20 w/out graphics, and it looked way too plane for my taste. I think you would grow bored of it, and resale might be hard because most people who want to buy the V edition, probably want to show it off.

So... where does that leave us? I think the black graphic is cool. in fact, I kind of like white boats with black accents (you can tell by my current VLX build). The black trim pieces really pop off the white. The black decals match the theme of your black wheels, black diamond plating, black rub rail, black bimini canvas, black cover, black vinyl accents, etc.. You might even consider doing your WS in black to complete the look.

On the other hand, the "ghosted" decals shown above are SICK. If that is an option, I'd consider it strongly. The downside is more cash out of pocket, and you should be trying to keep your cost down for resale in the fall. But I really like what TJ did, even the way he left the V in black.

As far as the V only option. I'm not a fan. Don't like the V just hanging out there all alone. It looks like something is missing... sort of like when somebody debadges part of their car, but not all of it. The skeleton hand is cool (I know I'm in the minority here).

If I were you and quick resale was my goal, I'd just leave it like the factory did it and play up the black accent theme. Keep our investment low and the boat looking OEM.

BTW... it just occured to me that our boats were practically built side-by-side!

Sweet boat for sure but, am I the only one who doesn't understand this?: If you're trying to save money or be budget conscious etc. Why buy a new boat every year? Why not buy a "brand name boat" and keep it for awhile? I've never done the math on this and maybe I'm wrong but, it seems like you're losing a ton of money every year especially if you're putting in a Wetsounds system into it.

Sweet boat Chatt! I like it better than the black A22! I'd love to ride behind one someday to see what all the fuss is about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by markj

Sweet boat for sure but, am I the only one who doesn't understand this?: If you're trying to save money or be budget conscious etc. Why buy a new boat every year? Why not buy a "brand name boat" and keep it for awhile? I've never done the math on this and maybe I'm wrong but, it seems like you're losing a ton of money every year especially if you're putting in a Wetsounds system into it.

He does it every year. He has the hook up and gets them close to cost I think. Then sells them at the end of the season without losing money.

Thanks Sean! I do l have a local dealer who is willing to give me a good price on a boat every season - same setup I had when i was buying nautiques (and I had the same opportunity if I had wanted an MC). Because the resale values of he 230's and 'A22's I've owned have been really good, I have been fortunate enough to buy a boat, run it for a season, deck it out with some wetsounds gear, and then sell that same boat, with very little hours, decked out, without loosing any coin. One of the reasons is that there are not a ton of one year old used boats on the market that can be sold nationally or internationally. Dealers are not supposed to sell new boats out of territory, and not a whole lot of people get rid of a brand new boat after one season. I'm in a good niche', in that I don't have a terrible lot of competition for the particular type of boat I'm selling. Plus, my stereo's are always over the top and I try hard to make my boats appeal to a broad audience. Lastly, I take care of my stuff and clean it exclusively with Boat Bling products - which keeps everythin looking new!

TJ, I really like what you did there. I'm going to forward it to a friend at axis and see what he thinks!

I love the white on white on white, I also like the all black which would look so murdered out behind my black on black truck. From experience though black SUCKS to keep looking good. I have photoshopped the hand out and i will post it as soon as I find it.

I'm going with the Wetsounds XS12, powered by a syn6 (as well as my interior speakers).

In regard to the hand/skeleton thing. I love the white decals. I've passed that idea on. Who knows? Something may come of it. One thing I've learned about Axis, they listen to their riders and make changes that they want/suggest.

The more I look at it, the black decals grow on me - even the hand part. I assume everyone realizes that Vandall has that exact tatoo on his arm, and that he is a west coast rider -- hence the graphic. It's not like Axis is just trying to throw a bunch of skulls on their boats.

DBC's comments are probably right on through, if I mess with the graphic, it might look good to me, but invariably, a potential buyer won't like it and will want the full graphic. With my black boat, that's exactly what happened, and, luckily, I had preserved the original grapic and could get it put on for him. If I go cutting up the graphic now, and a buyer wants the entire graphic later, I'm going to be stuck buying a $700 set of stickers. Barf! Now, if I'm able to smooth talk some folks, and procure an extra, backup, set of graphics, I really may start pealing stuff off!

I'm just going to wait, get everything together and think hard about it. I'll ask you guys to chime in too, once all's said and done.

I did just get back from picking up the boat and, of course, it's raining. More pics to come.

Chat. looks sick... I definitely think it is better looking than last years. I like the black diamond plate on the trailer with black wheels.. the whole set up looks great. Stoked to see your wake once its dialed in, with that motor and prop, i imagine you will be able to put even more weight than last year.

I'm sorry, but of all the Axis boats posted on this site, that boat is the ugliest of all of them.

White is a classy color if done correctly, when theres too much white, it just looks cartoonish or toyish. Not my cup of tea.

I've seen other all white boats(axis) on this site,how specifically does this one qualify as ugliest? Also what is your suggestion to make it classy but retain the white theme? Thanks for your thoughtful insight .

What the hell kind of a comment is that!This axis in no way or aspect remotelty resembles
'ugly".This guys sharing his new pride and joy and you have to call it ugly?Wow.Hey when you order your new boat then you can choose your own colors!!

I'm guessing that was meant for 9645glazier...careful who you point your arrows at Matt! I've seen people's drain plugs get stolen and trailer hitch's released while they are out in the water for the careless use of arrows.

It is simply not my cup of tea, way too much white, no contrast. I'm sure its s great boat, just not my style. Although, I guess if you always liked Ed Hardy graphics, the Vandall graphics would be right up your alley.

Go look at the RZ2 someone else posted in another thread, that to me is the perfect combo of white and black. I just don't dig all white boats, plus I'm sure it's a bitch to keep clean if it was actually used full season.

People around here take boats way to seriously, if your gonna post pictures, wouldn't you expect someone else to disagree with your choice? I never knocked the boat, just said compared to other Axis boats here, I've seen better. Not my style, I'm sure he's stoked with his purchase.

"I never knocked the boat, just said compared to other Axis boats here, I've seen better." (ryan glazier)

That's not what you said... this is what you said:

"I'm sorry, but of all the Axis boats posted on this site, that boat is the ugliest of all of them"

lol, just messing with you. Let the man have an opinion, even if it is harsh, Chat's a big boy, if he doesn't want to chance having negative feedback, then he can go post pictures of his beautiful boat at axisboatowners.com where there will be plenty of positive comments and no negative ones.

One thing i don't get ryan, what about that boat is way too much white with not enough contrast? the boat is white with black with penguin grey interior with white and black. the tower, bimini and speaker set up will be white and black, as is the trailer... just curious

I think the the thing I don't like the most is the white tower, and the white powdercoating on the Z5, and he said he's putting white Rev410s on it, seems like alot of white. And like I said, I've never been a fan of Vandall's package for graphics. I think if the underside of the hull had been black or if he put a little black on the deck, it would have broken the white "blobness" of it all.

I think the the thing I don't like the most is the white tower, and the white powdercoating on the Z5, and he said he's putting white Rev410s on it, seems like alot of white. And like I said, I've never been a fan of Vandall's package for graphics. I think if the underside of the hull had been black or if he put a little black on the deck, it would have broken the white "blobness" of it all.

Opinions are like buttholes, everybody has one and they all stink.

Chatt your boat is off the hook sick.

Last edited by logan; 05-06-2012 at 12:50 PM.
Reason: buttholes not buttonholes